Method of preserving railway-tie timber against injury from splitting and decay.



W. E. WILLIAMS. METHOD OF PRBSERVING RAILWAY TIE TIMBER AGAINST INJURY FROM SPLITTING AND DECAY APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1913.

1,093,230. Patented Apr. 14,1914,

FIFE.

METHOD OF PRESERVING RAILWAY-TIE TIMBER AGAINST INJURY FROM SPLITTING AND DECAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 26, 1913.

Patented Apr. f4, 1914. Serial No. 791,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM ERASTUS humans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, with a post-oflice address at 331 South Clinton street, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Preserving Railway-Tie Timber Against Injury from Splitting and Decay, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to prevent the season checks and splits induced by the spikes, the splits and cracks that are slowly developed by the loads of the traffic passing over the rails which the ties support and to prevent season and moisture checks and to prevent decay by keeping the moisture out from the tie and further to strengthen the tie as a whole and increase the holding power of the spikes.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of ties treated by my method. Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section through a tie at a point where a band is applied. Fig. l is an end section of a tie at a banding point after the tie is compressed for band ing but before the band is applied. Fig. 5 is a view of a single band. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one means of compressing a tie at the banding point. Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a plan of Fig. 7. Figs. 9 and 10 show different methods of compressing the tie for banding. Figs. 11 and 12 show details of compressor blocks shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. 13 shows an end view of the band and tie when the band is being welded. F 1% is a plan of Fig. 13.

Railway ties, as they lie in the roadbed, are subject to moisture on their lower portions to a greater extent than they are at their ends and on their top surfaces, thus, while the wood is expanded by moisture in the lower section the ends and tops dry out in the sun and exposure and contract more than the lower body portion and thus induce checks and cracks which in time result in the splitting of the tie along the line of the checks and cracks.

Railway ties as a rule are more firmly bedded in the roadbed at the ends and on each side of the rail than directly under the rail itself and it is a common practice of track men when surfacing a track, to raise the track and tamp the ties at their ends first in order to not delay the traflic and then at their leisure tamp up the central portions after a limited amount of traffic has been allowed to pass supported by the ends of the ties alone. This puts such strains on the ties that cracks are induced. Further, the driving of the spikes tend to invite the cracking of the ties. An examination of the ties in any roadbed will show that over fifty per cent. of them have been seriously injured by cracks and splitting before the normal service life of the tie has been arrived at.

I strengthen the tie against the splits and checks by applying bands around the tie at intervals of its length while the tie is compressed at the banding points to such an extent as to overcome any initial cracking or checking strain that may develop in the wood and the bands are then applied tightly and hold the tie forever after.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which 1 indicates a tie and 2 a band. I prefer to make my bands of galvanized wire but any suitable band may be used.

I first compress the tie at the banding point by any suitable means or mechanism and compress the corners of the tie at the banding point down to an oval shape as is shown by Fig. 4. \Vhile the tie is thus compressed and held in a compressed state at the banding point I prefer to fasten my hands but the bands may be applied after the compressing means have been removed.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 I show a wire rope 3 formed into a loop 4 which is placed over the tie at the banding point in the form of a noose and the ends of the rope are secured to the terminal blocks 5 which are connected to any suitable means for drawing the rope tightly around the tie as is shown by Fig. 7 thus producing indentations at the corners of the tie and compressing the tie throughout its body. Previous to the compression or any suitable time I place in position, the wire band 2. which then is a piece of curved wire and on final compression the ends 6 of the band 2 are clasped by the electrodes 7 and 8 and then the electrodes are moved together, drawing the wire tightly around the tie and at the same time abutting the ends 6 together and welding them by the heat pistons 10 within hydraulic cylinders 11 suitably mounted to compress all four corners of the tie at once when actuated by hydraulic or other suitable pressure supplied by the pipes 12. The mounting of the blocks is such as will enable an approach to an oval to be arrived at by the pressure and while the pressure is on, or before the fibers of the wood have had time to rebound or react from the pressure to any great extent the band 2 is made to embrace the tie within the compressed region and is welded by the electrodes 13 and 14 making the weld 15 and on its completion and cooling the blocks 9 are released. The blocks 9 are slotted at 16 to permit the insertion and welding of i the band 2 while the blocks are in compression on the wood.

In place of compressing the tie at the banding points by the means described I may draw the band around the tie with sufficient force to produce the compression without other means and then weld the band as described, but this will require heavier bands to be used or a less compression obtained than when the compression is produced by other means stronger than the tensile strength of the band might permit of.

After the bands have all been applied I then pass the tie along to an apparatus that automatically coats with tar or other protecting coating the entire space around the tie whereat compression was produced thus coating the band and its welded point and filling in the capillary spaces at the edges of the band where embedded in the wood to prevent moisture being secreted along the sides of the bands which might induce decay. The apparatus for coating these banding zones may be composed of revolving brushes that are in contact with the coating material in a vat and revolve against the tie at the banded spaces the tie being revolved against the brushes meantime distributing the coating entirely around the tie. However, the coating may be applied by hand or in any suitable manner. h-en the tie is thus fin ished by my method it is securely bound against the checks and is much more impervious to moisture and the tie is very much stronger and the holding power of the spikes greater and it will outlast ties treated by any other method.

What I claim is V 1. The method of preserving ties which consists in compressing the corners and body of the tie timber at intervals of itslength.

. and while compressed securing a metal band tightly around the tie at the compressed places. 7

2. The method of preserving the timber of ties which consists'in compressing the corners and body of the tie stick and banding it with metal bands at the zones of compression. V

3. The method of preserving the timber of ties which consists in compressing the corners of the tie at intervals of its length and applying bands around the tie at the compressed points and welding the hands when thesame are in compression on the tie.

4:. A method of preserving the timber of ties which consists in drawing around the body of the tie at intervals of its length metal bands under great tension and welding the same integrally when they are un der tension.

5'. A method of preserving the tie timber which consists in applying metal bands around the tie at intervals of its length and then coating the zones occupied by the bands with a preserving coating material.

6'. A method of preserving tie timber which consists in banding the tie about its body at intervals with metal bands welded into integral rings after being applied to the timber.

7. A method of preserving tie timber which consists in handing the tie at intervals of its length withv bands welded to gether under tension after being applied to the tie and then coating the zones of the bands with a protecting coating.

8. The method of preserving tie timber which consists in compressing the body of the tie at intervals of its length and while the compressing means is still active on the tie apply bands at the compressed points and weldtheir ends together.

9. The method of preserving tie timber which consists in rounding the corners of the tie at'intervals of its length and then apply bands around the tie at the intervals where the corners are rounded and weld the ends of the bands when the bands are in tension on the body of the tie. t

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM ERASTUS WILLIAMS.

\Vitnesses J B. BEALL, J. L'. PHILLIPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. s 

